Information Minister Mr Labaran Maku has cautioned some politicians in the north against capitalizing on the insecurity in the region to further their personal political ambitions. The Minister who spoke at a reception in his honour in Panda, Nasarawa State, said as the 2015 elections approached, some politicians often make personal political proclamations claiming to be speaking on behalf of the north whereas it was a common knowledge that they lacked the mandate to represent the views of the region on any national issue.
Mr. Maku, while responding to the political and community leaders of Panda Development Area, who dissociated themselves from the recent threatening remarks by the Northern Elders Forum against the political future of President Goodluck Jonathan, said exploring the self-inflicted insecurity in the region to achieve political interests was a great disservice to the ordinary people of the north by those he described as self-seeking politicians.
He said instead of dissipating their energy on issuing ultimatum to the president, the northern political leaders should reach out to the insurgents on the need to stop the violence in order to complement the efforts of the president in ensuring lasting peace in the north.
The Minister said the President would continue to receive overwhelming support of the people of the north because of the uncommon commitment he had shown to the peace, security and development of the northern region, which was unprecedented in the recent history of Nigeria.
“My message to the people of Panda is that I appreciate the overwhelming support that they have extended to the president. They have sent me with a message to the President that come 2015, the President should ignore all the distractions and come out because the people of this area are fully behind him. They have seen the work he has done in this country, especially in Nasarawa State. They are very happy and they appreciate him. They want him to come out boldly and lead this country.
“On the so-called calls on him by some people who claim to be representing the north, they said those people don’t have any mandate of the people of Panda.
Nobody should use the name of the north for selfish reasons. That they have seen this president developed the north in the last four years. They mentioned the 10 universities established in the north, the railways he is building between Abuja and Kaduna and the one is rehabilitating between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, the Loko Bridge, Doma road, Lafia-Awe road, the Central Bank in Lafia, the secretariat in Lafia, the Federal High Court and computers in schools here. So they said they do not support those who are claiming that they are speaking for the north and that in fact in this state in 2015, the president will win more overwhelmingly than he did in 2011 and so will it be in many northern states,” he stated.
Mr. Maku equally expressed regret that since the PDP left power in Nasarawa State in 2011, no meaningful development was recorded in the state except widespread violence, mistrust and suspicion among the various ethnic groups, mass unemployment and other social maladies that befell the state under the APC rule.
He therefore restated his call to the people to stand up and reclaim the state from the grips of misrule and return it to the path of peace, unity, prosperity and development.
Mr. Maku preached politics without bitterness and warned the youths against allowing themselves to be lured into political violence and said doing so would compromise their future and retard the socio-economic development of the area.
The Information Minister also used the occasion to enlighten the people on the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease imported into the country and stressed that though no case was reported outside of Lagos, the people needed to observe strict personal and environmental hygiene and avoid unnecessary inter-personal contact to contain and defeat the deadly disease.
Speaking on behalf of the political and community leaders of the Panda Development Area, Mr. David Efuna stated that they invited the Information Minister to consult with him ahead of the 2015 elections and said the people of the area had resolved to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan to continue to lead the country while Mr. Labaran Maku remained their choice for Governor of Nasarawa State in 2015.
Leaders of women and youth groups as well as the elders took turns to buttress their choice of President Jonathan and Mr. Maku as their candidates for the elections.
At the palace of the paramount ruler of the Yankpa Kingdom, His Royal Highness Mr. Joel Aninge, the Information Minister praised the wisdom and knowledge of the monarch, which he said had contributed to promoting peaceful co-existence among the different ethnic groups in the area.
“We came here because I was called by the sons of this chiefdom and the sons of Koro chiefdom and other communities in this area. I was called to come because they said they have a conversation with me, but on coming here, I felt it was very important I pay homage to our Royal Majesty. I am pleased that he has received us with fatherly love. He spoke extensively on the need for peace in northern Nigeria, he spoke extensively on peace in Nasarawa State and in our various communities”, he said.
Mr. Maku decried the insecurity bedeviling the northern part of the country and urged the people to be agents of peace and unity at all times.
Responding, the paramount ruler of the Yankpa Kingdom, Mr. Joel Aninge, encouraged the people not to be disillusioned by the spate of violence and insecurity in parts of the country and said it was a global phenomenon that had arrived the shores of Nigeria.
He thanked God for granting wisdom to President Jonathan to lead Nigeria in one of the most difficult periods in the nation’s history.
The monarch said the people of Nasarawa State were proud of the Information Minister and the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri who were in the forefront of projecting the achievements of the Federal Government.
Follow Us On WhatsApp
